The A-10 Warthog has rightfully become a legend of the American aircraft industry. This attack
aircraft is the only production aircraft that served in the U.S. Air Force, being designed
exclusively for close air support (CAS). Yet time passes, and legends become another
part of history...which the A-10 is in no hurry to join. In fact, there are plans to
modernize it and keep it in operation until the year 2040!
Learn more about how this became so in the video!
Stormtroopers have always been a specific class of aircraft, designed to directly support
infantry caught in enemy fire. Only two attack aircraft were built for these
missions, one of which was the A-10 "Warthog", which got its nickname from the pilots of
the US Air Force attack squadrons. According to another version, it was named this way
because of its nose, typical of the African species of cloven-hoofed mammals.
The saying "Go Ugly Early" is also associated with it, as the A-10 would be called out early
in combat to support ground troops from the air.
As a side note, this aircraft was the last of the attack jets created by the American
company Republic Fairchild.
Today's requirements for aircraft are markedly different from those that were put forward
by the military when the Warthog was created. In the "cold" 70s, the military was much more
interested in taking the lead in the arms race with the Soviet Union than in the practicality
of using military equipment and the low-visibility technology, which has become a real trend
in the industry over the past two decades. Now, in addition to the colossal power of
weapons, emphasis is placed on vehicle autonomy, range, and especially on the possibility of
upgrading the equipment in the future. Given that the U.S. has long been testing
military lasers, both on the water and in the air, as well as the use of drone swarms
paired with artificial intelligence, the future of U.S. aviation and other branches of the
military industry looks promising indeed! We should not forget the "economic" characteristics
of future aircraft as well, such as the final cost of production and the cost per flight
hour. After all, now the country's air fleet has enough "voracious" fighters, like the
newest F-35, which costs taxpayers $45,000 per hour of flight!
The A-10 at $20,000 per hour was even more economical than the F-16 at $23,000 per hour,
and certainly cheaper than the F-15 "eating up" at least $40,000 per hour of flight.
"Profitable" aircraft will be an extremely effective and cheap solution to support U.S.
troops in "slightly contested or protected" airspace. Especially in battles against adversaries
who do not have modern anti-aircraft systems. Such as, for example, in military operations
against terrorists in the Middle East and Africa.
The "Warthog" was armed with one of the most powerful aircraft cannons in the world—the
30mm "Avenger" Gatling gun—capable of firing up to 3,900 rounds per minute, deadly Maverick
rockets, and various bombs. The total weight of the weaponry exceeds 7 tons, because the
GAU-8 alone, when fully loaded, takes up to 16% of the total weight of the aircraft!
The full power of the A-10 was demonstrated during the 1991 Gulf War.
A total of 144 aircraft of this type participated in the operation, performing a total of 8,100
combat sorties, which resulted in seven aircraft being shot down and some 15 seriously damaged.
Many observers were surprised by the superior performance of the Warthog, becoming a "war
hero" alongside the F-15 and the F-117 stealth attack aircraft.
As part of its deployment, the A-10 attack aircraft managed to destroy more than 1,000
Iraqi tanks, 2,000 pieces of other military equipment, and more than 1,200 artillery pieces.
Its combat readiness rate was 95.7 percent, a record for U.S. Air Force tactical aircraft
at the time. In a single sortie, the A-10 was able to destroy
23 tanks and damage another 10. The most successful was an attack aircraft called the Alligator,
which managed to destroy 18 tanks, 10 armored vehicles, and 20 trucks!
The A-10 proved its survivability during Operation Desert Storm, when one of the Warthogs suffered
severe wing damage and returned to base, although military technicians are still convinced that
the damage was so severe that no other aircraft would have managed to return in one piece.
Even the legendary F-16, for all its advantages, was significantly inferior to the A-10 in
survivability. The fighter was very vulnerable to fire from the ground, so it was forced
to fly at high altitudes, where its guns became less accurate than the capabilities of Maverick
missiles and A-10 artillery fire.
However, despite all of the above, the future of the A-10 is still the subject of heated
discussions in military circles – and it doesn't stop there!
Initially, the Air Force wanted to keep the aircraft in service until 2028 until it was
completely replaced by the F-35. But then there would have been a shortage of aircraft
flights. Moreover, it turned out that the A-10's armor and cannon are superior to the
F-35 in ground engagements, which is why commanders often requested A-10 support.
A few years later, the Air Force gave priority to multipurpose aircraft, planning to retire
the A-10, saving $3.7 billion. However, the development of a new attack aircraft capable
of replacing the Warthog would take about 15 years, so in 2016, any plans to retire
the A-10 were finally frozen. Furthermore, the use of attack aircraft against
ISIS and their deployment in Eastern Europe against the backdrop of Russian aggression
in Ukraine proved that the planes were still effective.
The 2021 U.S. Air Force budget calls for reducing the fleet of 281 attack aircraft by 44 and
decommissioning another 19 A-10s in 2022. The remaining U.S. vehicles will be fully
modernized and then divided into seven squadrons. They will be fitted with the latest communications
equipment, thereby increasing the A-10's usefulness in today's digital battlefield environment
and significantly improving avionics. The Air Force also wants to upgrade the A-10's
structural elements and wings to make sure it is sufficiently prepared for future sorties.
The upgrade was called Package 10 and its main feature was an improvement to allow the
pilot to hit multiple targets with three different types of weapons in a single pass, and in
2020, Package 11 began its development. It will add new capabilities in the use of corrective
bombs and radically change the pilot's instrument panels.
The US Air Force will thus be systematically renewing the Warthog, ensuring that there'll
still be some life in the old dog.
What do you think of the Warthog? Will it be able to remain relevant even against
the backdrop of the new generation of laser-armed stealth fighters or will it still become part
of a bygone history? What impressed you the most?
Let us know in the comments! Also, if you enjoyed the video, be sure to
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